M. religiosa diapause/breeding 2009 season

[kamakiri]

I just wanted to start a thread to discuss Europeans which are one of my favorite species, including the current topic of diapause.

My first ooth of the season just hatched yesterday. It was a wild collected from Ohio stored for one month in a ventilated cup. Some evenings stored in the garage when temps were ranging in the upper 30s to low 50s, otherwise in the refrigerator during the day. Total storage time was one month from late Nov. to late Dec. Incubation time was just over 5 weeks.

So please post if you're keeping or hatching any M. religiosa mantises this year.

 

[Rick]

I like these too but after hatching a few ooths over the years I found the nymphs never did well so I gave up on them. Good luck to yours.

 

[Borya]

Once they hatched without any diapause, just after two months in room temperature.

This autumn my friend made them cold period - first he put an ooth near a window for a week (at about 10-15*C), then to fridge (~3-5*C) for about two weeks, then again to the window for a week, and in october they hatched, he gave me some.

 

[kamakiri]

Thanks Rick...I suspect it may be the humidity where you are. Last year I didn't have any problems despite the relatively low humidity here. I think I'm going to monitor the actual values a little better this year, but that's easier said than done.

Once they hatched without any diapause, just after two months in room temperature.

And if anyone has an ooth that does this...I'd be interested in buying or trading for them! I have a few left that I have not put in cold storage yet, but I was just going to hatch them later. I guess we'll see on those 3.

It's also good to know that diapause can be that short with only two weeks in the fridge. I think I'm going to test one with just a week.

The ooth that hatched ~70 nymphs on 2/1, hatched another ~30 yesterday (1 day later).

Anyone currently have some of the asian subspecies?

 

[Hypoponera]

I have one from Luke. It hatched a few weeks ago and the nymphs are molting to L3 now. Hatch out was a single burst with no stragglers. Nice mix of colors and all look to be quite happy!

Afraid I only got the single ooth. But I will happily send you one to play with should I get more a few months down the road.

This is only the second time I have tried the species. My first attempt was a dismal failure. I hatched an ooth and got NO nymphs to last long enough to molt to L2! Most died from injuries incurred at hatching or got stuck and did not exit the ooth. So this attempt is going much better!!

 

[kamakiri]

Cool. I didn't know that the ooth that Luke offered made it stateside...I would be interested in any ooths you could spare, as I would like to see if they could be hybridized.

 

[kamakiri]

One of the last to emerge:

 

[Peter Clausen]

Oregon participates with a just hatched M. religiosa ootheca! My daughter found it on the side of her school a few months ago, well after the last wild adults had succumbed to the local weather. I kept it outside until about a month ago. Yesterday morning, I set the deli cup near a reptile heat lamp. It hatched a few hours later. Unfortunately, a S. limbata ooth also hatched in the same container, so the nymphs are all cohabitating until I can tell them apart. There's a Revolutionary War joke in there somewhere, I'm sure!

 

[Katnapper]

Wow! Great close-up shot of that newborn nymph, Kamakiri!! Love it!

 

[kamakiri]

Wow! Great close-up shot of that newborn nymph, Kamakiri!! Love it!

Thanks Katnapper, just ignore the sensor dust! :lol:

My update>

So the hatchlings have pared themselves down from 70/30 to about 40/5. All the survivors are fat, but still L1 as of this morning. There were a few instances of cannibalism, but most of the dead can be accounted for on the tub floor(s).

There was a single straggler on day 3 or 4 which was housed singly but died a few days ago.

 

[kamakiri]

First batch started molting to L2 on Valentine's Day. Lost several to predation as the skinny L1s got a few of the first to molt to L2. So I've started to separate them into smaller groups of 1 to 3 in 12 oz tubs.

Second ooth started hatching on Saturday with a whopping 1 nymph. Figured the rest would hatch the next day on the 15th...nothing! Woke up a little late yesterday and checked the ooths first thing and was surprised to finally witness the start of hatching! Right when I picked up the tub, I noticed three heads just wiggling out. Always caught them in progress before with many nymphs running around. Glad I had the camera ready to go in the next room. I'll post some of the other pictures in the photo forum. First shot of the series:

This ooth was wild collected, cold stored for about two weeks, and incubated for 4 1/2 weeks. Total count was only 30, and does appear that laterally, only half of the ooth hatched. Hatching only seemed to have occured from the Mantis' left (as the ooth was laid). Makes me curious why that would be. Left and right ovaries and one was sterile? The valves/gonapophyses would seem to be able to handle ova from a left and right source, and eggs are laid alternately in the right and left halves of the ooth for this species. I'll dissect it in a few days if there is no further activity.

 

[kamakiri]

I'm surprised... that second ooth continued to hatch for two more days with another 30 and 47 yesterday for a total of 106. So maybe half the ooth was in the sun in the wild and was the cause for the differential in development time? Maybe more will hatch today...

Most of the first batch are L2 and are mostly separated since they've pared themselves down to about 20+.

 

[Katnapper]

I'm surprised... that second ooth continued to hatch for two more days with another 30 and 47 yesterday for a total of 106. So maybe half the ooth was in the sun in the wild and was the cause for the differential in development time? Maybe more will hatch today...

Interesting developmental theory.

 

[kamakiri]

Couldn't believe it...there were more religiosa hatchlings yesterday when I got home...20 more for a new total of 126 over 6 days. Glad I didn't dissect it too soon! Though it does seem that the 'right' half finally has exuvia on the 'zipper'.

I wasn't planning on releasing any until later in the year, but with only 2 ooths hatched out of 12+ I think I have to start now. At least it has been warm lately at ~70 degrees out.

 

[kamakiri]

Okay, now this is just ridiculous...now it's hatched over 8 days another 4 yesterday and 1 this morning. Not that 131 total is a big number, I just wasn't aware that religiosa ooths could have that long a hatching period.

 

[Katnapper]

Okay, now this is just ridiculous...now it's hatched over 8 days another 4 yesterday and 1 this morning. Not that 131 total is a big number, I just wasn't aware that religiosa ooths could have that long a hatching period.

Interesting... will have to keep that in mind in case I ever get an ooth of this species. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[kamakiri]

:angry: I typed a looong update on these guys yesterday and it was lost when submitting...

Main points were some of the difficulties so far:

These guys are cannibalistic even when there's lots of feeders available. Lots of headless horsemen, three leggers, missing claws or antennae, etc...

Really sensitive to lack of humidity...especially during the molt. I opended the container with the first batch to remove/separate some of the just hardened L2s and some of the molts in progress just got stuck despite humidity foam and condensation on the tub sides. Take this with a grain of salt since it can be really dry here. Ambient humidity in the office/bug room ranges from 30% to 50% or so according to the cheap gauges.

Many L1s appear to wither and die for no reason. Lots of feeders, but some even individually housed don't even eat. Not a problem at all with the surviving L2s which are getting fat, so it seems that it is just certain individuals from the start.

Anyway, it doesn't look like I need to be releasing any just yet...

 

[kamakiri]

Update:

Still only two ooths hatched so far.

First batch is mostly L4, no problems to report for all (12) individually housed (8 oz. tubs) nymphs since L2. One pair has stayed together in an 8 oz. tub kept very well fed. One group of communally housed nymphs in about a 1/2 gallon container sustains 4 with no cannibalism since L2.

Second batch was split into 4 various sized deli containers.

32 oz: 3 remaining L3

32 oz: no survivors

16 oz: 2 remaining 1 L3 1 L2

8 oz: 1 L2

 

[ismart]

I myself have 5 european ooths from my breeding stock of last year. The ooths are still currently in diapause. I will start to incubate them in a few weeks. I also have 18 L4/L5 mantis religiosa siedleckii that i recieved from Hypopnera a few weeks ago. They are all houesed in there owen 32oz cups. Hopefully if all goes well, i will have enough adults to breed another generation. This sub species does not require a diapause. Cant wait to try this out for myself!